Losing weight raises a lot of questions, and supplements are often touted as the easy way out. It’s time to take a calm and honest look at this: what can a supplement actually do, and, more importantly, what can’t it do?
Can you lose weight with supplements?
No. No supplement on its own will make you lose weight. Weight loss is all about your energy balance: you lose weight if, over a longer period, you consume less energy than you burn.
A pill, powder or capsule cannot regulate that balance for you. How much you eat and how much you exercise is entirely up to you, and that is the driving force behind weight loss. Supplements can offer support in a few areas, but they are no substitute for a healthy diet and sufficient exercise. If you take that as your starting point, you won’t be let down by empty promises.
What determines whether you lose weight?
Your energy balance determines whether you lose weight. If, on average, you’re in a small deficit (meaning you consume slightly fewer calories than you burn), you’ll lose weight. If you’re in a surplus, you’ll put on weight.
You achieve that deficit through what you eat and how much you exercise, not with a supplement. A realistic, sustainable deficit works better than a strict crash diet that you give up after two weeks. If you want to understand how to track your nutrition and calories, read about how counting macros works.
Which supplements are useful whilst on a diet?
Strictly speaking, no supplement causes weight loss. However, whilst dieting, there are two areas where a supplement can be of practical help: ensuring you get enough protein and preventing nutritional gaps.
When you eat less, it becomes harder to get all the nutrients you need. That’s where a targeted supplement can be useful. But that’s different from a product that ‘makes the kilos melt away’. Such products don’t exist, so we don’t refer to them that way either.
Does protein powder help with weight loss?
Protein powder doesn’t make you lose weight, but it is a handy way to ensure you get enough protein whilst on a diet. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass, and it’s precisely muscle mass that you want to preserve when you’re losing weight.
When you’re in a calorie deficit, there’s a risk that you’ll lose muscle mass as well as fat. That’s why enough protein and strength training matter when you’re in a deficit. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. Protein powder is simply an easy way to maintain your daily protein intake without having to prepare a full meal every time. You can find out how much you need in ‘How much protein do you need per day?’, and further background information is available in ‘The benefits of protein powder’.
This article takes a broad look at supplements. If you’d like to know specifically whether protein shakes play a role in weight loss, read ‘Can you lose weight with protein shakes?’.
Do fat burners, green tea or MCTs work?
There are no approved European health claims for ‘fat burners’, green tea extract or MCTs regarding weight loss or fat burning. We therefore do not present them as weight-loss aids.
You’ll often find these ingredients in products that make big promises. Caffeine, for example from green tea, is not a shortcut to weight loss; there is no approved weight-loss claim for it. Nor is MCT a substance that removes fat.
Can vitamins and minerals help with weight loss?
Vitamins and minerals do not make you lose weight. However, it is true that if you eat less, you may sometimes consume fewer nutrients, and in that case, targeted supplementation can be useful to prevent deficiencies.
This has nothing to do with a ‘fat burner’, but everything to do with allowing your body to function normally whilst you’re eating less, and magnesium is a good example of this. Magnesium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. That doesn’t make magnesium a weight-loss aid, but it does show why a balanced diet remains important. You can read more about this in our guide to what magnesium is and what it does for your body.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a supplement that burns fat?
No, there is no supplement with an approved claim that it burns fat or helps you lose weight. Weight loss results from a sustained, achievable energy deficit achieved through diet and exercise. At best, a supplement can provide marginal support for this process, for example by helping you ensure you get enough protein.
How much protein do I need when I’m losing weight?
That depends on your weight, your activity level and your goal. During a diet, getting enough protein is particularly important. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass. You can find specific guidelines and a calculation method in the section on how much protein you need each day.
Are ‘slimming pills’ and fat burners reliable?
Be sceptical. Products that promise quick results without changes to your diet or exercise routine often make unrealistic claims. Read the ingredients list, choose a brand that’s transparent about what’s in it, and be wary of products that claim to have dramatic effects. A healthy diet remains the foundation.
Do green tea or caffeine help with weight loss?
There is no approved claim that green tea or caffeine helps you lose weight; don’t view them as slimming aids. Weight loss remains a matter of your energy balance over the long term.
How to approach this with Ekopura
Losing weight starts with your diet and exercise, and a supplement should complement that, not the other way round. If you want to easily maintain your protein intake whilst on a diet, our protein powders are a practical aid. You’ll find the full range, from organic whey to vegan protein, in our protein collection. Clean label, a clear list of ingredients, nothing more.
